One of the largest ground-mounted solar arrays in New York
State, the Solar Strand has the capacity to produce 750,000
watts of energy and also serves as an innovative outdoor
classroom.
Brought to life by world-renowned artist Walter Hood, the Solar
Strand welcomes students, faculty, staff and community members to
campus through a connected cultural and natural
landscape. Groups of photovoltaic panels—3,200 in
all—are mounted onto supports that stretch in three rows
along Flint Road, creating a new gateway to the North
Campus. The design’s logic is derived from the
“strand” concept: a linear landscape formation and DNA
fingerprint.
Walkways run between the rows of panels, connecting the array
with local roads, the Center for Tomorrow, and naturally
regenerated meadows and wetland areas that the public can enjoy.
The array’s tallest groupings of solar panels form a slanted
roof over three outdoor “social rooms.” At 140
feet wide and 1,250 feet long, the array has a rated capacity to
produce 750,000 watts of energy. The project, one of the largest
ground-mounted solar arrays in New York State, was funded by the
New York Power Authority. The initiative will generate enough
carbon-free energy to power hundreds of student apartments. It also
will create natural classrooms for pre-K through post-graduate
students.
